Starting today, item creators in Team Fortress 2 and Dota 2 Workshops may choose from a selection of toolmakers, communities, and mentors and allocate a percentage of revenues from in-game item sales to the toolmakers who aided in the items' creation.

Since the Steam Workshop launched in October of 2011, over 1,200 items created by members of the community have been made available for sale in Team Fortress 2 and Dota 2, producing over $10 million in royalties paid to item creators.

However, creating high quality content for games is rarely a solo endeavor. Along the way, item creators often make use of specialized tools and receive help, guidance, and feedback from various communities and individuals. We've heard from a number of item creators that are looking for a formal way of recognizing and rewarding the toolmakers and service providers that have helped them. Now they can!

When submitting an item to the Team Fortress 2 or Dota 2 Workshop, item creators can select from a list of companies, organizations, or individuals to receive a portion of revenue from that item's sales.

The contribution will be made from a set percentage that is redirected from Valve to the toolmakers, not taken from the item creator's royalty.

There are a lot of organizations and companies that provide valuable tools and services to aid in the creation of game content. But it's usually not obvious to us which of these organizations are providing the most value for any individual content creator. We've started with a basic list (links below), but we'd like to hear about others from item creators such as yourself. Jump into the TF2 and Dota 2 Workshop Discussions and tell us what other communities, individuals, or companies have helped you along the way that you'd like to be able to compensate.

If you already have an item in the Team Fortress 2 or Dota 2 Workshop, you can add and set these royalty splits by visiting the page for your item in the Workshop (only available for items that have not yet been accepted for sale in-game). Click here to view all your workshop items.